*Jane*“Are you ready for your entire world to change?” I adjust the straps of the little floral ruched bust top I’m wearing and direct a pointed look at Rachel, not needing words to express my sarcasm. But despite my attitude, my fingers still toy with the frilly material, something I only do when I’m more than a little nervous. “What?” my friend asks defensively, not taking her eyes off the mirror as she adds the finishing touches to her makeup.“A little dramatic, don’t you think, Rach?” I move to sit on her bed, crossing my legs in an attempt to stave off the anxious foot-tapping. “It’s a party. We’re not exactly curing cancer or braving the frontlines.”Rachel rolls her eyes. Her eyeliner is perfect. “Please. This is when the rest of our lives really begin.”“I thought the rest of our lives started when we moved to campus and started classes.”She shakes her head, her dark curls bouncing on her shoulders. “Not at all. That was just the logistics of things, y
*Jane*I wake up feeling like I’ve got a mouth stuffed full of sand. The mini migraine pounding through my head isn’t helping either. Fortunately, all things considered, I’m not doing too bad.With a groan, I raise my head, trying to figure out where I am. I realize that I must’ve just thrown myself onto my bed last night, given that I’m still in my party outfit with hair that looks like I stuck my finger in a power outlet. When I look for Rachel, she’s in a slightly less dignified position —she ended up just sleeping on the floor, with one shoe missing. I absentmindedly note that it’s been abandoned halfway on the trek between the bathroom and where she decided to pass out for the night. “Rach?” I ask groggily, my voice sounding rough. I pick up a pillow to throw at her, and it bounces off her head. “Are you alive?”She makes an unintelligible sound and raises a hand to flip me off. “Oh great, you’re in good shape then.”“My head is killing me,” she grumbles, s
*Jane*“You look perfect,” Rachel says, wringing her hands together like a proud mother. I take a look in the mirror and have to admit that the outfit I picked out does look good. I’ve chosen a pale pink sweater that’s tucked into a mini skirt and finished it off with a pair of complementary booties. Rachel let me borrow one of her necklaces and curled my hair so that it falls in soft loose spirals around my shoulders. The whole thing draws attention to my best features—my legs and my collarbone.“How are you feeling?” she asks, going to take a seat on my bed. “Nervous,” I confess, my hands going straight to the hem of my sweater to fight with non-existent creases. “Just breathe. It’s just a regular date and there’s really no reason to be anxious.”Just then, a knock sounds at our door and Rachel jumps from her perch, clapping her hands in excitement. I roll my eyes at the huge grin on her face. “What happened to this being just a 'regular date', Rach?” I ask,
*Jane*Of course, he has a penthouse apartment. I don’t know why I was even surprised at this point. I look around, perplexed at the sheer amount of luxury around me. The left wall of the living area consists of a series of oversized floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the city below, offering a view so spectacular that I walk over to get a better look. I don’t know if he decorated the place himself but it’s done well, with minimalist features that are simple but masculine. Absentmindedly, I pull at the oversized jacket he draped over my shoulders tighter around me. I’m struck again by the difference between the way I grew up and the lifestyle he is obviously accustomed to. I’d be lying to myself if I claimed it wasn’t at least slightly intimidating. “I’m surprised you’re not offering me a nightcap,” I joke, turning to look at him. He’s keeping a respectful distance, similar to how he did the night of the party. Like he’s waiting for my cues before he tries an
*Noah*When I wake up, the sun hasn’t even fully risen yet and there’s a beautiful blonde still sleeping in my arms. Jane Thomas. She looks so content, with her hair falling over her face and her chest gently rising and falling with each breath. For a second, I just stay frozen, watching her long eyelashes flutter slightly as she sleeps, memorizing the shape of her full lips and remembering what they felt like against mine. Something stirs in my chest and I know that if I don’t get up and move soon, that feeling will awaken something else and I’ll end up missing practice completely. Careful not to wake her up, I gently pry my arm out from under her head and let her rest on a pillow. It’s colder in the morning, so I pull up my covers until her bare shoulders are covered. I give her one last look over, appreciating the way her curves look wrapped up in my sheets before I make my way to the shower. As I wash up, I mentally go over the events of the night before, try
*Jane*Noah’s sudden change in mood took me by surprise. I tried hard not to take it personally, not when I knew that it most likely had nothing to do with me. And it wasn’t like he’d been overtly rude, just…distant. Colder than he’d been this morning. Still, I hate the sudden flip. “Don’t worry about it too much. Athletes tend to be very emotionally volatile when it comes to their sport,” Rachel says knowledgeably. “I can guarantee you that he’ll come crawling back to apologize for brushing you off once he realizes what he’s done.”It took a solid ten minutes of in-depth information poaching of my last conversation with Noah before Rachel ascertained that what he did wasn’t worthy of a red flag. Once she was sure of that, she tried to get me to relax and see that it wasn’t as bad as I thought at first. I knew even before her advice that it must’ve been related to the practice session he had. Granted, I still don’t know much about baseball. Noah’s thorough explanation
*Jane*I’ll be the first one to admit, yet again, that I’ve never been much of a sports fan. I didn’t really play anything in school or grow up with siblings or friends who were super into it, and outside of Rachel’s track and field days, I’ve never really had a reason to sit in the stands and scream my lungs out in support of a team. So, I’m completely unprepared for the atmosphere that permeates the watching crowd as the baseball game goes underway. There’s a buzz that runs like a thread through every person sitting in the bleachers, connecting us with the bated breath of expectation. Some people have their faces painted, and others are clad in the Billmore Bulldogs’ colors and memorabilia. But there’s an undeniable electricity as the game goes underway and we all wait with growing impatience to see what the outcome will be. I’m fascinated by the athleticism involved as every inning stretches on. And the focus, the dedication, the strength, the competitiveness … I
*Jane*The last place I was expecting to be taken to was the baseball field. But as we sit in his car, Noah looks at me with a mix of excitement and curiosity. We get out, and a chill runs through me that has little to do with temperature. The night air is pleasantly cool, and with the lights turned off, the sky is much clearer, proudly showing off its gorgeous canopy of stars. I look at the stands I was sitting in mere hours ago, and even though the stadium is so quiet, I can hear the blood pounding in my ears, the phantom presence of the crowds that occupied the space before makes what we’re doing feel so much more lewd.“Have you ever done anything outside?” Noah asks, his voice mischievous as he moves around to the back of the car. I move to join him. “Of course not,” I reply, whispering even though I’m pretty sure we’re the only people around. He retrieves a blanket from the trunk, then holds out his arm for me to take. “How classy of you,” I add, half joking as